Snowstorms arrive as cold temperatures continue

After unseasonably cold temperatures dominated the weekend weather discussion Saturday in Chicago, snow will be the centerpiece of weather activity today.

Storms coming from the west are expected to drop somewhere between 1 and 3 inches across the area as the day goes on, according to the National Weather Service. By late morning and early afternoon, the snow had begun to fall across the area. There's a chance for lake-effect snow to add to that total in northwest Indiana, and accumulations in southern Wisconsin are more likely to be in the 3-5-inch range.

Here are some early snowfall totals from the weather service: 1.2 inches in west suburban Elburn, 1 inch in northwest suburban Lake in the Hills and north suburban Waukegan, .6 inches in west suburban Roselle, .5 inches in near west suburban Broadview and north suburban Northbrook, and .3 inches at Midway International Airport on Chicago's Southwest Side.

The agency is warning that travel could be hazardous throughout the early evening hours, with road surfaces likely to be slick.

Temperatures today will remain chilly, in the 20s. Those temperatures remain below the usual temperatures for this time of year: Highs in the mid 30s and lows in the mid-20s.

After the snow blows through by early evening, the weather focus will shift back to bitterly cold temperatures that are expected to remain in the region through at least Thursday, with the worst of it coming the next three days.

Single digit temperature readings are likely each of those three days, according to forecasts on ChicagoWeatherCenter.com, and brisk winds out of the west and northwest will likely push wind chill readings below zero. If you're headed to Monday night's Chicago Bears-Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field, dress warmly – it will be really cold at kickoff.

Temperatures aren't expected to rise above freezing before Thursday.

The average temperature for this December, according to weather service records, has been 32.1 – well above the record 14.3 degrees in the coldest December in Chicago history in 1983.